Tela Ammo Review

Tela — as distinct from Tula — is a Florida-based importer brand of Azerbaijani mil-spec lacquered steel case basic fodder for AK, SKS, AR, 10x, ARAK21, vz58…every comblock and US rifle of that caliber.

You might’ve seen the relatively generic and plain ammo boxes and wondered what the deal is. Given that it looks like every other Soviet surplus range ammo, how good can it be?

Range Testing the Tela Impex 7.62×39

The first test is functionality: the 124 grain Tela Impex 7.62×39 ran reliably in AKM, vz58, cz527, and AR15 over a few hundred rounds.

Its velocity variation is in line with Wolf, Tula, and Barnaul brands. Cartridge length consistency is pretty good. In our range testing we found an extreme spread around 80 feet per second and our muzzle velocities ranged from 2300 to 2380 fps.

Tela lacquer seals its ammo’s cases around the case mouth and the primer pocket. Tela jackets their bullets with mild steel that’s covered with a thin layer of brass.

If you’ve been around the range for a few decades, it might look familiar. It’s the same kind of ammunition that showed up in the United States as surplus around the early 1990s. Now, it’s and features non-corrosive primers.

In our range trials, we found the ammunition seems a bit cleaner than Tula. I’d put it on par with the Serbian and Turkish brands out there in the market today.

Tela Impex Accuracy

In my testing, the ammo’s accuracy fell right where I expected it to for a bulk 7.62×39 ammo option:

• About 4 MOA with vz58 (2x scope) and cz527 bolt action carbine (4x scope)
• Closer to 3 MOA with M+M 10x (8x scope)
• A clean 2.5 MOA with AR15

For reference, that same AR-15 shot 3 MOA with Tula and 1.25 MOA with match ammunition.

With AKMs, my results varied from about 3.5 MOA with Century Arms C39 to 5 MOA with a Pioneer Arms rifle. I fired both with 4x scopes.

I get a distinct impression that the original classification of some 7.62 AKMs as submachine guns is closer to the truth than calling it a rifle. The Soviet standard for AK ammo dispersion was around 4 MOA, so this performance fit right in line with the expectations.

What Does It Mean For Real World Defense?

In practical terms, this means effective headshots with AK and similar rifles out to 100 yards, body shots to 300 (considering also wind drift), again fitting with the expectations.

Is Tela A Good Training Ammo?

Tela is a perfectly adequate practice cartridge with trajectory broadly similar to defensive ammunition. If you’ve fired Tula or Wolf for years and are having trouble finding good supply in light of the sanctions, Tela is a good substitute.

We’d consider terminal performance around standard for the caliber. We found substantial penetration in gel (30-32″) with the bullet doing a single flip-over at about 8″ mark.

If shooting for blood, something with expansion and better accuracy, such as Federal Power-Shok or Hornady SST would probably serve you better. For training, you can get three of these cartridges for the price of one hunting cartridge. So, the choice is quite obvious if you’re buying in bulk.